MOSCOW, July 3 The Orkney Islands, located in Scotland, will consider leaving the UK and becoming a territory of Norway, as they do not receive fair funding from the British government and have deeper ties to Norway, the Telegraph newspaper writes, citing the leader of the Orkney Islands council.
The Orkney Islands, which are home to 22.5 thousand people, are located in the north-east of Scotland — on the border of the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean — and geographically closer to Oslo than to London. Until 1472, when they became part of Scotland by royal marriage, the islands were under the control of Norway and Denmark for hundreds of years.
«The per capita funding we receive from the Scottish government is significantly less than in Shetland and the Western Isles … we cannot continue like this,» the Orkney council leader was quoted as saying James Stockan.
At the same time, according to Stokan, the Orkney Islands have been part of the «Scandinavian kingdom» for much longer than part of the UK, and there is a «great closeness and deep cultural connection» between the inhabitants of the islands and the people of Norway.
It is noted that a proposal to consider «alternative forms of government» should be submitted to the Orkney Islands council as early as Tuesday. If it is adopted, the council will carefully study possible changes. It is noted that if the islands want to change their status or even leave the UK, it may be necessary to hold a referendum and agree with the governments of Great Britain and Scotland.